That Nearly Scared Me to Death! Let's Do It Again

Fear is a handy evolutionary mechanism for staying out of danger. So why do we get off on it sometimes?

If the half-billion dollars spent by Americans on horror movies last year is anything to go by, I'm not the only one to ask that question. Scientists believe the answer is that humans have evolved to enjoy fear.

"There's a substantial overlap between those brain areas involved in processing fear and pleasure," said Allan Kalueff, a brain researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health.

As Halloween approaches, the latest research into fear suggests that the neurological systems in our brains that are stimulated by fear are the same as those associated with pleasure. So while you're watching Saw IV or playing Resident Evil, you get the gratification of real fear without any of the danger.

Scientists say that while watching a scary movie, or playing popular games like Bioshock and Dementium, information runs from your eyes and ears to an almond-shaped clump of neurons called the amygdala. Located front-and-center in your brain, the amygdala has long been understood as vital to instantaneous emotional processing, especially of love and pleasure.

Wired